Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-08-11
Women Ruling a City.


/ have Just returned from a trip on
the Santa Fe road, west. Syracuse, six
teen miles from the Colorado line, was
the Mecca Of my pilgrimage, because
here, April 4, they elected city eoun-
ell Of women, and I was bent upon see
ing the town that had made this inno-
vation, and the women who were filling
the council chairs. / WANTED to ask the
people how it came about and how it
was working. The first of these ladies
introduced to me was Mrs. E. B. Bar
bour, fair-faced, gentle-mannered
woman, with an unmistakable air of
business about her. / found this ac-
counted for by the fact that she is
business woman. Her husband does a
large and complicated business; the
books are entirely in her charge. Mrs.
H. d. Knott is a business woman, too.
/ expect much of Mrs. Knott in the
management of their suffrage society,
because of her experience in Iowa as
President of the Eight District Woman
Suffrage society. Mrs. Coggeshall says
they were very sorry to lose Mrs. Knott
from their ranks. She is chairman of
the Syracuse aldermanic force. Mrs.
M. NJ. Riggles is quiet little woman, a
careful and conscientious mother and
housewife. She has way of making
up her mind for herself and standing
| firmly by her convictions. She has a
reputation among Syracuse male citi-
Zens for being a person of excellent
Judgment. Mrs. S. N. Coe is woman
of excellent ability, with enough con-
servatism to keep her enthusiasm in
proper check. No one of these women
is more anxious to do exactly right than
is Mrs. Coe. She is sister to Mrs. Lem
ert, President of the Saxon Equal Suf-
frage Society," organized at Dodge City
by Mrs. Saxon, and named for her. She
has several such namesakes in Kansas
Mrs. l.. M. Smartwood, the fifth mem
Der, did not see, although L made an
effort to do so. She was confined to heI
home by sickness; but am told that
i she is q woman of ability, and that is
by no means behind her sisters in any
requisite for her position. My short ac
quaintance with these women con
vinced me that sitting in council chairs
and wrestling with questions of the
city polity have had no effect to unse2
them-whatever that may be-for these
were as womanly women as | have evel
seen. | looked in vain for masculine
tendencies. There was not hint of il
in dress or manner. Meeting them or
the street or in the cars, you would
: never guess that they were city officials
From conversation with them learned
that they were exceedingly anxious tt
make their administration just one
that would advance the best interest,"
) of their city; and they spoke of ad
vancing the interests of their cit!
they betrayed the fact that they
had in mind the city's moral a
we'll as temporal prosperity. 1t is saiC
of them that they are doing better thar
: the body Of men who composed th
previous council. Their townspeopl'
say they were elected because "some
body proposed it and everybody wa
i, pleased with the idea;n because sit wa
believed that they would make excel
lent officers" because "the temperanc,
.. people thought women wouldn't b
: afraid to enforce the prohibitory law;
, because 1--WE wanted to advertise on
town"-this last from a member of
real estate firm; because "wonen woul
take time to do the work well an
3 thoughtfully." Altogether, 1 wa
pleased with my first sight of woma
council. This is the only one in tn
Q United States .-SdJind Letter to Men
r phiS appeal.